eva2941647

West Los Angeles

eva2941647's Passions

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Climbing

eva2941647's Bio

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I like climbing. I like trad because I'm lazy and not very strong. I like sport because it's the most fun you can have with a 60m length of rope. I like bouldering because girls dig boulder dudes. I love dogs, runouts, and sticky rubber. Sends brought to you by Dale's Pale Ale.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

I'm a bit of a dirtbag at times. I take my draws apart, use the rope end biners for trad draws, put em back together in weird configurations, and try every biner on the market in the hopes that it will make me a stronger sport climber (it won't.)

Cannibalizing/customizing your draws is kind of tricky with some of the other rope-end retention systems on the market. BD/WC/Metolius uses a sewn-in rubber sleeve that might actually be made out of laughy-taffy. Camp uses, well, nothing at all. The geniuses over at Petzl have designed a little rubber cap that slips over the biner and the dogbone, so it's easy to remove. You can even buy them separately should you lose one.

This is a god-send for a carabiner-poor climber such as myself.

Add to that the beefiest nylon dogbone known to man, and you've got an extra 6" reach for making that spicy clip. Feel free to leave them on your project, with all that beef it's gonna take a long time for mother nature to do any significant damage. I promise I won't steal them and send your project.

I recommend all sport climbers to pick up a dozen of these in various sizes and upgrade ya dogbone game.

Cons: Grey color let's everyone know you haven't had them for more than a year. Heavier than free-soloing.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

These are my favorite dyneema runners. You might ask what the difference is between this particular runner and bd or metolius runners.

Well, first of all, it's color-coded. Blue=120cm or double-shoulder, and red=60cm shoulder sling. That alone sets it apart as a cut above the rest. Actually I don't like the word 'cut' when I'm talking about slings. This sling is the valedictorian of the graduating class of Dyneema sling university (and head of the debate team.)

What really gets me hot for these slings is the stitching. It's very, very low profile and Mammut was clever enough to cover the stitching with a slick, aerodynamic sheath. The otherwise great BD slings have a little hangnail where the stitching ends that sometimes gums up the works.

What does this mean to you, loyal consumer? If you have hang-ups with tangled alpine draws, the streamlined stitching drastically reduces the amount of time you spend clinging to a postage stamp-sized lump of granite with one hand while you flick your tangled mess of a draw around like a bullwhip. Easy, effortless extension every time.

This may be pseudosciece, but because the colored portion (nylon-dyneema is always white) is at the outer edges of the sling, it might be a little safer to tie knots in these sexy, thin slings. Tying knots in dyneema of course means yergonnadie, but at least you can do it with a little more confidence.

I rack up with 60cm and 120cm slings clipped with black diamond carabiners from deconstructed freewire quickdraws, and I enjoy the hell out of them.

If you use rubber bands to hold your rope-end biner, educate yourself on the hazards of this practice and climb safe.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

Fit:
True to size

I've tried about every approach shoe out there. La Sportiva, 5.10, evolv, salewa. I have to give these my personal endorsement as they are tough turdkickers that will see you through just about anything you can throw at them.

All machismo aside, these puppies are comfy, supportive, and nurturing. Did your girlfriend just dump you for a backcountry ski nut? Don't worry, the 5.10 Guide Tennie is there for you with a pint of Haagen Daz and a 13 going on 30 blu-ray.

In terms of climbing performance, the rubber is great and puts up with a lot of abuse. Edging is great, and the nylon armored exterior lets you jam these things into cracks with reckless abandon. Smearing is pretty darn good. The evolv cruzers do it better, but only slightly. You'll be keeping these on for the first three 5.8 pitches before you get to the good stuff.

Durability is excellent. I might even resole these, if that's actually a thing.

I've had durability issues with the with my shoelaces sawing through the suede 'eyelets' on my La Spo Boulder X. Every pair of Evolv cruzers I own boasts two ragged holes on either side of the toe, even the venerable Scarpa helix can't even eat at the same table as this glorious pair of rockhoppers.

The insole is very, very cozy, so if your approach involves carrying a 90lb piggie on your back, this is the way to go. The boulder X is pretty supportive for heavy portage, but the salewa and evolv offerings will leave you with sore feet and fallen arches.

The only downside I can think of is that they aren't very breathable. While my feet normally smell like a field of daisies, a July weekend in Joshua Tree funks them up enough to make an onion cry.

Don't let these things get soaked through. The insole expands and never fits quite the same afterwards. You can't skinny dip with shoes on anyhow.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

The venerable tricam is a brilliant feat of engineering. Both a passive and active pro unit, it is made of exactly 3 components: A sewn sling, a steel roll pin, and an exquisitely sculpted piece of heat-treated 7075-T6 anodized aluminum. I love them.

You see, I like to play this game where me and my buddies lead a route without cams, trying to one up each other on who can place gear in the most creative way possible. Just some good ol' fashion fun. Now, occasionally things get a little spicy. The crack resembles a wavy slice of bacon and rejects all 4 brands of nuts on my nutterbutterbiner, and things are getting too thin for hexes. I'm in a cold sweat, 20' above a piece of cable-swaged aluminum no bigger than my thumbnail. Staring me dead in the eye is an impossibly wonky bombay pocket. No cam will fit. I unsheath my red tricam and wedge that tiny pyramid behind a quartz crystal. I pee a little, then it's Clip. N. Go!

If you ever fall on a tricam you'll never get it back without a cold chisel and a hammer. You might place 4 tricams in your entire climbing career, but when you get it right, you feel as safe as houses. They might be the biggest PIA out there, but when they hold, they are submarine-deep bomber status.

Now, in passive mode, I assume they work beautifully. It's hard to screw the passive formula up. Constriction+metal+surface contact=clipngo. I never use them in this fashion unless I'm playing a joke on someone, but they seem to work well.

Walking is a problem. Give 'em a good hard tug and a long leash.

You'll never use anything but pink and red unless you do aid, in which case it's been an honor to be in your presence, my liege.

The brown and blue pieces are useless, mail them to me and I'll see that they end up with a needy family. I purchased a pack once, the red one was heavily pitted on the business end. Another retailer rushed a new pack out to me, so I got some free gear out of the deal. Plus stickers! I love stickers!

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

When things get thin... real thin... the mastercam fills the void formerly left by the beloved alien. I still prefer the mastercam for most things. While it lacks the legendary low-profile of the alien, it has cam stops. I've never actually placed a cam that NEEDED those cam stops, but they make me happy.

The trigger cables are kevlar, which is brilliant because I'm one to stuff my gear into my backpack and throw a couple beers on top for good measure. As a result, I've replaced a few trigger wires.

Placement is easy due to the excellent ergonomics. I feel like Nurse Ratchet giving Tonto a lethal injection with one of these. And the tape sling gives a little extra room to girth hitch a sling for stubborn shallow placements.

Now here's what I don't like about them. I've taken a few falls on the larger pieces. The slight kink in the main stem has a strange effect on the cam lobes. Thoey get all katiwompus, one side is perpendicular to the stem while the other set of lobes is rotated at a 30 degree angle. No other cam seems to have this problem, and I notice it's much more prevalent on the larger sizes (red and up.)

I also don't appreciate the solid lobes. Getting those stubborn pieces out sometimes requires a little finesse with the ol' nut tool. With no 'speed holes' to hook into, extracting someone else's booty can be a bit of a chore.

The useless 'rangefinder' feature features pretty colors, which is fun to look at while you come to the terrifying realization that a rangefinder doesn't make up for the fact that you have no clue what you're doing placing gear in the first place.

Overall, these make up the majority of my gear under Camalot c4 .75. I use them, I swear by them, and I swear at some of the larger pieces on occasion.

If you're rich, buy the x4s. If you're a regular joe, pick up some of these and maybe a blue alien for street cred.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

Fit:
True to size

This was my first high-end shoe. It hurt like a mother for a while but softened up after a few tender caresses. We had a lovely month together before I noticed that these things smelled AWFUL. I've never had a shoe do that before, or since. I'm mostly a no-liner kind of guy, so maybe that's why.

The British seem to love these guys, which is funny to me because they're made an hour away from me.

Now, on to the shoe. Rubber's great. Sticky, but not too fast wearing. It's aggressive without being extremely down-turned, which makes it great for steep sport and bouldering, although it shines best on dime-edge face climbing. The fit is REALLY weird. My foot is somehow both pinched uncomfortably into the heel while still having enough room to store a headlamp in the heel cup. I don't get it. It's a problem with this particular last. The blancos and verdes are the same in this way. That toe-profile tho! It fits into dimples, dishes, pods, pockets, and splitter cracks like a key into a lock. If you do a lot of splitter crack, this might be a good option. Especially if you don't mind your car smelling like feet.

The velcro is fast, but delicate. Enough contact where the small strap and the metal buckle thingy meet, and you'll have a blown shoe. Crack and off-width climbers beware.

Weird fit, bad smells, cool aesthetics, decent closure system, decent durability, and a sick toe profile make this a top-pick if this were twenty years ago. Not worth the $$$, get lace miuras.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

Fit:
Runs large

Because they'll dye your feet red. Get it? And he's a Chief so he wears mocassims? Zing.

These are my preferred shoes for all-day moderate multipitch climbing. The Stealth rubber has a little extra durability that's sticky enough for that 6-pitch granite slab and crack route you saw in your buddy's Sierra guidebook.

They're surprisingly high performance on steep sport, great for cracks, excellent for smearing and tenuous slab. They even heel hook somehow! The lip where the stealth rubber sole terminates gives a little bite on certain features, and the shoe's heel cup keeps your gross feet from slipping out and scaring small children.

They stretch A LOT. When you buy them they hurt like crazy, after putting in some time at the crag, you've got this perfectly-fitting shoe that feels like you're walking on God's face, until a week later when they are too loose and sensitivity is somewhat compromised by that. Get a FULL-SIZE smaller and tough it out. I recommend wearing them while you watch climbing videos at home.

Classic, durable, sensitive at times, a top-performer in many circumstances, and valuable too! Snag a pair of these just to fit in.

Familiarity:
I've used it several times

I get why it's useful. Easy to equalize, strong, great for setting up a rappel system with an autoblock. I'm just not finding these things useful to any degree. Slings work beautifully. This thing has not improved my life at all.

Now, I suppose I might use it to make top-rope or anchor equalization easier one of these days, but I'm more likely to spend a few seconds fiddling with a clove-hitch.

On the plus side, they really look cool girth hitched to your harness. Everyone that sees you will KNOW that you have your shit together. "He's so racked up that he's run out of gear to buy!" they'll say. "He must be Yosemite SAR!" Wear them to the gym just to make sure those gym rats get the point.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

These were the first draws I ever bought. I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to buy so I got these based on price.... and color. Years later, I still use them sort-of. They've found their way onto a mish-mosh of different dogbones but when I'm in the market, I will go with these versus a higher-performance draw with a fat dogbone.

Here's why. The noseless key-lock makes it very easy to clean and clip and unclip and open your beer and whatever else you might do with this thing. Seriously, the shape, gate-opening and orientation, spring-tension, weight; it all comes together to make the spiciest clip just a little less picante.

The dogbones are a dyneema/nylon blend, so a draw that's burly enough to leave on your project but light enough so that 18-bolt full pitch isn't any harder than it has to be.

Back to the dogbones. The rope-end retention system sucks. The spirit has that thing on lock. This has a flimsy rubber tube sewn into the runner. Removing biners from the rope end will be a major pain in the ass.

Value. I love mine. I have 6 different kinds of draws, excluding the ones I've made from spare parts, and these are honestly the best for the money.

Solid-gate. Gate-flutter is a myth on par with the tooth-fairly, so clip, clip go buddy!

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

Fit:
True to size

These are my favorite shoes for steep sport climbing. These shoes inspire CONFIDENCE. The red and yellow coloration grabs my attention at the crux and demands that I pay attention to my flailing footwork. She may lack a few features, but for what she's good at, she's the best at.

For steep sport climbing at my local crag they work BEAUTIFULLY. Pods, Pockets, pin scars, and dime edges are no match for this shoe. They also work really well on cobbles, for reasons I don't understand.

For bouldering, it depends on the route, but as a half-sole model, heel hooks will be a problem.

As far as comfort goes, I consider these about as comfortable as the Miura line. The laces are a little funky and hard to fine-tune compared to pretty much every lace-up I've ever had.

Overall, a shoe worth getting, but the Solution is superior in every way except comfort and structural integrity (that dreaded pull tab!)

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

Fit:
True to size

These honeybees are my all-around favorite shoe. From all-day multi-pitch sufferfests, to projecting that steep sport route that will get that girl to go home with you when you send, this might be the pinnacle of rock shoe innovation. I will continue buying these SOBs until they stop making them. I sent my best redpoint in a pair of Miura Laces.

Comfort is very, very good once broken in. The lacing system is FAST and easy to adjust for a fine-tuned fit. The leather that makes up the bulk of the shoe is a great way to resist odors.

Extremely sensitive for tiny edges, and grips exceptionally well on the smallest, slipperiest, greasiest limestone and granite.

A very good bouldering all-a-rounder, but lacks the aggresive downturn of the miuras and the rubberized toe common to more modern bouldering shoes.

The Vibram XS rubber is the stickiest stuff I know of, but wears very quickly. If I could change one thing about this shoe, it would be putting a more durable, less sticky rubber on it like Stealth C4 because I'm too weak for steep climbing and I'm also poor and can't afford a new pair every three months.

Does well jamming cracks, and isn't terribly painful, but the tc-pro or mythos are the kings of crack.

Overall, this is the perfect shoe, if you don't mind the missing toe rubber and the Vibram XS rubber. Get a full size smaller if pain arouses you, and a half-size if you're a wimp.

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

Fit:
True to size

As far as aggressive shoes go, this is certainly the most comfortable, beating out the futura, solution, katana, dragon, and testarossa (a close second.)

Sticky rubber wears fast on real rock, but grips very well on the most slippery of limestone crags.

Velcro system is supportive and easy to rip off when your dogs are screamin'.

Velcro system also wears prematurely, which kills the shoe. Those that climb delicate, almost vertical slab may want a lace-up or slipper. Crack kills... No rubber over the toe, so delicate heel-hooking is more difficult.

If you re-sole, the testarossa has laces for durability and fine-tuning the fit; and a half-sole (lower cost of re-soling) It sucks at heel hooking though.

For edges it's non-pareil, but accelerated wear may make the Futura a better option for steep edging and tiny pockets.

Stretches a full-size if you're a god, or half-a-size for mere mortals. Buy two save one for that project you've been talking about.

Yellow and black color may attract bees. Do a warning bee dance to deter them.

I've had 4-5 of these bad boys, for steep sport I strongly recommend them. There are better options for bouldering and tiny edges on vertical faces.